Reginald George Skoulding

A Private with the 5th Battalion, Reginald died on 9th of June 1942 aged 36. 

Reginald was born at Oulton Broad on 26 March 1906, a son of George Thomas and Minnie Skoulding. He was baptised at Saint Peter’s Church, Carlton Colville, on 17 June 1906, and his family lived at Victoria Road, Oulton Broad. By 1911 they were living at The Gate House, Marsh Lane, Carlton Colville, and in 1921 their address was Dunwich Cottages, Carlton Colville, and Reginald was employed miking for Mr. Bond at Rookery Farm, Carlton Colville. 

On 3 August 1929 Reginald married Doris Rose Mitchell at Saint Peter’s Church, Carlton Colville. They both lived at Carlton Colville and Reginald was a railway servant. In 1939 they lived at 28 Beech Road, Carlton Colville, and Reginald was a railway carriage cleaner.

Reginald served with the 5th Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment. In May 1940 the battalion took over coastal defences at Weybourne, Norfolk. Later that year they moved to Holt and then King’s Lynn. In January 1941 they were sent to Scotland for advanced training and in April to Liverpool. In October 1941 they went to Glasgow and on 9 December they embarked the Duchess of Atholl, part of a convoy of ships carrying the 18th Division to Halifax. In Canada they changed ship to the U.S.S. Munt Vernon and then sailed for South Africa. They were due to sail to Bombay on 13 December 1941, but instead were taken to Mombasa. On 28 December they sailed for Singapore, arriving there on 13 January 1942.

The battalion underwent some jungle training before moving to reserve positions at Ayer Hitam. The battalion’s first contact with the Japanese took place on 21 January. For the next few days they tried to hold positions, but, on 26 January, they were ordered to engage in a fighting retreat to Singapore. For the next two weeks they were involved in the defence of Singapore but Reginald, like many of his battalion was captured when Singapore fell on 15 February 1942. 

Reginald, along with other who had been captured, was held at Changi jail, where he died on 9 June 1942. No details of his cause of death are known. He was buried at Changi Cemetery and, in 1946, re-buried at Kranji Military Cemetery.